Police: Man Upset With Loud Party Fires Gunshot

A man who was “irritated with loud noise from a party” fired a gunshot into the air when some party-goers approached him, according to an Arlington County Police crime report.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, on the 3000 block of S. Randolph Street in Shirlington.

The man, who was intoxicated, was upset that a “drinking party” in his apartment building was making a ruckus, even after he asked the party-goers to quiet down, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Frustrated, the man began filming the party with his cell phone from the building’s courtyard.

Four people from the party then approached the man, according to Sternbeck. Feeling “threatened,” the man took out a pistol from his waistband and fired a single gunshot into the air, Sternbeck said; the party-goers scattered, and the man placed the gun on the ground waited for police to arrive. Nobody was injured.

Patrick John Kelley, 32, was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm and reckless handling of a firearm. He was held on a secured bond.

The shell casing from the shot was found, but the bullet was not recovered, Sternbeck said.